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ESA Ice Cubes space research service open for business

ICE Cubes model

The first European facility for commercial research on the International Space Station was installed today in Europe’s space laboratory Columbus. The International Commercial Experiments service – ICE Cubes for short – offers fast, simple and affordable access for research and technology experiments in microgravity.

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold installed the ice-box-sized facility in the European Physiology Module in the Columbus laboratory. ICE Cubes gets its power, temperature regulation and communications from Columbus.

The facility hosts experiments designed around 10 cm cubes (1U) or combinations of this volume – there is room for 12 cubes on top and two rows of four cubes below. Experiments can also float freely through the Columbus laboratory and communicate wirelessly with the facility to send data to Earth.

The first experiments are going to be launched on the next SpaceX Dragon supply vessel scheduled for launch this month. Designed to be plug-and-play, the experiment cubes only need to be slotted into the facility for them to work.

The first ICE Cubes experiments from the International Space University highlight the versatility of the service. One will investigate plant biology, another will bio-mine with microbes, and a third merges the arts and science by using a person’s heart rate to change a piece of kaleidoscopic artwork.

Get your space in space

Columbus laboratory

The ICE Cubes service is based on a partnership with Space Applications Services and is part of ESA’s human and robotic exploration strategy to ensure access to the weightless research possibilities in low Earth orbit.

From idea to reality in a year, anybody’s experiment can be launched to the Space Station. Service launches occur typically three times a year. With one point of contact and over two decades of space research know-how, getting an experiment designed, built and in compliance with International Space Station standards has never been easier.

The price starts from €50 000 for a 1-kg experiment with an end-to-end service package running for four months, with cheaper rates for educational organisations.

Stay connected
ICE Cubes control centre

ICE Cubes offers unprecedented 24-hour direct access to its experiments via a dedicated mission control centre at Space Applications Services’ premises in Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, Belgium. Clients can connect at any time to their experiment from their own location over internet to read the data and even send commands directly.

The experiments themselves will be highlighted on the ESA website over the next few weeks. Visit the ICE Cubes service website for more information and contact details.

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Visit to department of Aerospace Engineering at University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt

The 7 members of the A3 team visited on the 9th of April 2018 department for Aerospace Engineering at Fachhochschule Wiener Neustadt. In the company of several members of the host team, led by Dr. Carsten Scharlemann, Head of the Department, discussion was about the technical details of the CubeSat development, their experience of the PEGASUS satellite launched last year, and the CLIMB CubeSat project, which will be the first in the world to use trusters to change orbit from circular into elliptical. After the discussion, which lasted for several hours, their labs were shown, satellite testing instruments and self-developed pulsed plasma truster and the vacuum chambers where it is tested. Finally, desire for closer cooperation was expressed between A3 and AE on several projects.

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Founding Assembly

Founding Assembly of the Adriatic Aerospace Association was held at the Ruđer Bošković Institute on 18. December 2017. The Association was established by 30 founding members from research and academic institutions, schools of technology and high technology firms. In this way the Association acquires the status of legal entity as opposed to previous status when it was an assembly of members bonded by mutual consent agreement.

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Russia, Kazakhstan and the UAE discuss collaboration in the space industry

During the trilateral meeting between the representatives of Russia, Kazakhstan and the UAE, the parties discussed opportunities for the improvement of joint investment projects in the space industry with application of high-tech innovation developments. The meeting was held within the framework of the XV International Aerospace Exhibition Dubai Air Show – 2017.

During the meeting, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (UAE) expressed interest in considering the possibility of the UAE participation in the joint Russian-Kazakhstan project Baiterek. The Baiterek Rocket and Space Complex set to launch in 2025, is a joint-venture project between Russia And Kazakhstan. The project is based on the existing infrastructure of the Zenit space and rocket complex at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and the Phoenix, the promising medium-range carrier rocket that will be created by Russia within the Federal Space Program starting in 2018. The Russian side will be responsible for creating a new carrier rocket and the Kazakh side is responsible for modernizing the Zenit’s existing launch and technical complexes.

In order to develop a further strategy and coordination of activities, an agreement was reached on the establishment of a tripartite working group for the development of joint projects in the space sector.

You can find more information on this topic via the following link.

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Croatia officially launched the ESA accession process

At its 64th session, held on November 2, 2017, the Government of the Republic of Croatia adopted a decision on the initiation of the procedure for concluding an agreement between the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the European Space Agency (ESA) on space co-operation for peaceful purposes.

The Republic of Croatia is not a formal member of ESA. In April 2014, a letter of intent was sent to the Director General of the ESA, expressing the desire of the Republic of Croatia to become a member state. In May 2015, Croatia discusses co-operation options with the ESA delegation. Since 2015, the Republic of Croatia participates as observer state at the sessions of the ESA Council, the International Relations Committee and other working bodies.

The agreement paves the way for the full co-operation with ESA, facilitates the exchange of information through meetings, workshops, training programs and application of specific data as well as the use of the ESA’s assistance in compiling the national space strategy.

The long-term interest of the Republic of Croatia in terms of cooperation with ESA is also of economic nature. Approximately 90% of the budget of the European Space Agency is allocated for contracts with European industry and therefore it is expected that the Agreement will ultimately open new business opportunities for successful economic operators from the Republic of Croatia.

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The space industry is now 2% of Luxebourg’s GDP

Luxembourg, one of Europe’s smallest countries is gradually becoming a giant in the space industry.

With a population of just over 590.000, Luxemourg now generates nearly 2 percent of its annual GDP ($61 billion in 2016 ) from the space industry, according to Deputy Prime Minister Etienne Schneider.

Luxembourg’s sights are set on resources in space, and the country’s “space resources initiative” is plans to make the most out of a quickly growing global industry, Schneider says. “It’s a series of measures to position Luxembourg as the European heart of exploration and use of space resources.”

Space mining is Luxembourg’s present focus, but it is not the country’s first encounter with the space industry. In 1985, Luxembourg launched a public-private partnership with satellite builder SES. While Schneider said he believes the satellite business has not reached a negative trend, he does not anticipate the space industry growing beyond the 2 percent GDP mark any time soon.

You can read more about the Deputy Prime Minister’s comments via this link.

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Canadian CubeSat Project

The development of space technology and research are one of the few, perhaps the only, activities that are constantly on the rise, with no apparent limit to this rise. There are two reasons for this – the universe is the future of mankind and activities in this sector are interdisciplinary by their structure. The countries that understand it make every effort to broadly educate younger generations as the foundation of their space program. An example is a recent Canadian Space Agency competition award that would encourage the creation of small satellites, so-called „Cube Sats“. Here are the points of the competition:

• Expected budget for new awards over four years: $2.85 million
• Eligible recipients: Canadian post-secondary institutions (colleges and universities)
• Type of transfer payment: Grants
• Maximum amount per grant: Up to $200,000
• Duration of grant: Up to four (4) years from award
• Approxiate number of grants: 13
• Application deadline: December 15, 2017

What is also of significance is that considering the substantial costs that selected participants from the three farthest territories will face for travels to and from southern Canadian locations to attend collaborative efforts and/or project review meetings, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is planning on covering such travels for an amount not to exceed $50,000 per funded proposal involving a territory (in addition to the amount of $200,000 mentioned above). This action enables participants from the most distant areas of Canada to equally participate in the call.

You can find out more information on the call via this link.